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Cassandra Volice
Cassandra Volice is a high ranking officer in the White Horse organization and one of the few surviving Dragoons from the Zeta Clan of noble birth. Her grace and compassion have long helped promote White Horse as the true saviors of mankind. Early Life Born to Warlord David Volice of the Zeta Clan, Cassandra was raised in a life of luxury, her family directly related to the Chieftain. Due to the cultural leanings of the Clan, Cassandra only attended a basic version of the traditional Dragoon academy, her family hoping that she might grow to become a Dragoon who did not seek war first to resolve conflicts. Despite her brother's skill on the battlefield and his promotion to the esteemed Lion Battalion, Cassandra was always her parents' favorite child and many around her believed she would see the Zeta Clan into a dignified future. It was not to be. Operation Achilles Shortly before her tenth birthday the Alpha Clan launched Operation Achilles, deploying considerable forces in their mission to bury the Zeta capital of Delvon. Subordinates to Warlord Volice valiantly held the line in their effort to see the Volice Family evacuated to Haiphe but traitors within the Zeta ranks gave the coordinates of the aerodrome to the Alpha Clan forces, who proceeded to destroy it via artillery bombardment. For all intents and purpose the entire Volice Family perished that day. Orphan Unbeknownst to both Zeta and Alpha forces, Cassandra's half drowned body would wash ashore soon after. With the entirety of Zeta territory in disarray due to Operation Achilles the fishers who found her simply believed she was just another war orphan. Suffering from amnesia Cassandra could not reveal her true identity and was placed in a municipal holding. For nearly eight years Cassandra lived in the municipal holding till she was indentured to a local fish factory. Strong willed, Cassandra runs away before she can begin her service at the factory, taking off in search of adventure. Jacob and Tudor Her pursuit of excitement leads her back into the city of Delvon, the Alpha Clan having spent majority of the past decade removing any notion that the metropolis once was a beacon of Zeta mighty and majesty. While there she stumbles upon Jacob Trails and Tudor Lawrence, two former Zeta Cadets, now running scams for the resistance. Both men agree to bring her in on their operation, certain they can use her youthfulness and femininity to their advantage. The trio work together for nearly sixth months before Jacob begins to have suspicions about Cassandra's true identity, her knowledge of Zeta high society extensive. Eventually he convinces Tudor of his hunch and the pair devise a plan to take Cassandra south where Andrew Jethroth is actively searching for surviving Zeta nobility, neither of them aware that Jethroth is actually Cassandra's uncle. During their travels Malkeris catches wind of Cassandra's lineage and determined to exterminate all traces of the Dragoons who scorned him, he dispatches several operatives to hunt her down. Combined Jacob, Tudor, and Cassandra are able to fend off Malkeris' henchmen though none of them understand the large implications. Parchi Eventually Jacob and Tudor manage to bring Cassandra to Jethroth, the former Zeta warlord hiding in the corporate city of Parchi. Suspicious of the three; Jethroth quizzes Cassandra on what she does remember though it is hardly conclusive. As Jethroth is considering her identity he later catches her whispering the lullaby sung to her as a child. Embarrassed, Cassandra explains she can't remember much from her childhood but the song is something that always stuck with her. Satisfied of her authenticity, Jethroth invites Cassandra to live with him and even reunites her with some family heirlooms he managed to secret away during Operation Achilles. Most notable of these is the Sword of Gasteroth, an ancient energized blade kept in the Volice Family for generations. Training Cassandra in both statecraft and the art of swordsmanship, Jethroth rapidly advances her capabilities. White Horse During her time in Parchi, Tudor Lawrence heads back to the Eastern Reach to reconnect with the Zeta Clan underground, their organization slowly spreading into a vast anti-Dragoon network colloquially known as White Horse. However the Alpha Clan strikes brutally against the insurgency and publicly executes Tudor for his role in it. Receiving word of this Cassandra and Jacob are distraught, both deciding they can't wait on the sidelines anymore while people suffer. Despite her uncle's misgivings Cassandra heads out, quickly rallying Zeta Clan survivors due to her lineage. For several years she works tirelessly to destabilize the Alpha Clan's control and aid the people living under their rule. Though her efforts endear her to the civilian population they infuriate the Alpha Clan who place a bounty on her head at the behest of Malkeris. Even with her actively being hunted the White Horse organization still continues to expand, several corporations agreeing to secretly support them due to Cassandra's work. Dragoon Invasion With the Alpha Clan launching it invasion of Roommenor majority of the Dragoons are pulled from the continent and White Horse explodes into a full blown military service. Due to her long history within the organization and affinity the public has for her, Cassandra is given command of the 3rd Autonomous Corps and dispatched to various hot spots to raise morale and also to keep her out of the upper cadre. Though originally intended as little more than a propaganda icon, Cassandra manages to score several victories against various foes on the continent, not only earning further respect with the laypeople but also with executive members of White Horse. This draws Malkeris' eye back to her and he begins dispatching agents against her with such frequency that soldiers in her unit start to wonder if she is cursed. Noabi Tribe With the appearance of Zealots moving out of the Barren-Lands, local confrontations increase as people of all walks begin to panic. One such conflict arises around a small oasis in the Western Reach; corporate caravans clashing with the reclusive Noabi Tribe. Eager to win points with the corporations White Horse dispatches Cassandra to broker a deal with the desert tribesmen. However Cassandra sides with the Noabi in the dispute which further isolates her from majority of the White Horse command. Cassandra's budding relationship with the Noabi is quickly put to the test when a Zealot war-band attacks the oasis. Rallying her troops, the tribesmen, and the corporate security she makes a dogged stand against the Zealots and ultimately pushes them back. It becomes credited as the first defeat the Zealots face but scholars will later disprove this easily. This act of defiance garners more favor with the Noabi, some of them believing she is the reincarnation of their sun goddess. One of their chiefs, Saracen, pledges his family to her service, the most elite coming to act as her personal bodyguards. Milton Crisis Cassandra's next major upset would occur a short time later when White Horse Intelligence learned that wealthy arms merchant Heinrich Milton had acquired a set of nuclear warheads and was brokering a deal for them to be sold to the Alpha Clan for their proposed Operation Cyprus. Someone in the White Horse command structure leaks this information to Cassandra, fearful of Dragoons acquiring Taboo. Under the guise of a training exercise Cassandra and her unit head for the area and meet the local White Horse commander: Lorenzo Gavin. After discovering that Gavin has purposely not interfered with Milton due to his sales of salvaged weapons to White Horse, Cassandra begins a investigation of not only Milton but also Gavin. During the operation she encounters an incognito Colin Peterson, the Dragoon there to secure the warheads from Milton. The pair begin seeing each other privately, neither aware of the other's true identity. After accumulating enough evidence Cassandra places Gavin under arrest and launches a raid against Milton's facility. Though the ensuing raid is initially successful it falters when Colin and his Dragoon detachment rush to secure the warheads, revealing his true purpose to Cassandra. During the skirmish Colin is able to flee the facility with a trio of the missiles causing Cassandra's mission to become a failure. This and the disruption of armaments from Milton again strains her relationship with White Horse's high command. Duchess of Gasteroth Ordered to take a leave of absence following her failure to prevent the Alpha Clan from acquiring Taboo, Cassandra decides to explore the Eastern Reach in search of some of her family's history especially the chain of islands that her father had was controlled. Her journey takes her first to the Island of Gasteroth and the site of Volice Family's estate, now little more than ruins following over a decade of Alpha Clan rule. Much to her surprise she discovers a burial pit containing the bodies of several slain Alpha Dragoons and exploring further learns the island still inhabited. Believing her to be a thief the natives are initially hostile but upon seeing her sword quickly welcome her to her ancestral home. When Cassandra asks about the dead Dragoons the natives explain that it was the work of the neighboring Snake Islanders, corsair like tribesmen who are scattered throughout the island chain. Curious, Cassandra heads out the next day for the other islands, hoping to meet these corsairs. Her search quickly reveals a band of them nearby and they viciously attack her skiff. To the shock of the Snake Islanders she is not only able to hold her own but also cut down many of their warriors. The leader of the war-band soon recognizes her sword and requests a parlay with her. Suspicious, the Hersir quizzes Cassandra extensively, wishing to ascertain if she is in fact a Zeta returned home. The corsair explains that when he was a young man he'd served with her father but when the Alpha Clan attacked most of the Snake Islanders had hid, feeling outclassed by the enemy Dragoons. Shamed with this fact and that Cassandra is the daughter of man he'd pledged to, the Hersir asks her to kill him as penance. Cassandra refuses his request and instead asks him to ally with her and White Horse in their fight against the Alpha Clan. The Hersir agrees, asking her to come with him to meet with other war-bands in an attempt to for the rest of his people to regain their honor. Cassandra agrees though only about half the Snake Islanders agree to fight for White Horse. Those that do follow her proceed to crown her as the new Duchess of Gasteroth. Leviathan Even as Cassandra was securing new allies and her public image was at an all time high Malkeris still sought her death. Viewing her existence as a slight against his divinity he began targeting her wholesale with members of the Omega Clan. It was during one of these engagements that she would be reunited with Colin Peterson, the pair forced to fight together when the Omega Clan Dragoons tried to kill him as well. With most of her personal retinue dead, Cassandra gathered who was left, including Colin and took shelter in a factory. Eager to finish their cat and mouse game permanently, Malkeris deploys Leviathan to level the factory and kill Cassandra. Breaching into the facility Leviathan engages Cassandra, killing anyone who gets in his way. Despite this Colin and Saracen manage to intervene, even staggering Leviathan long enough for the group to flee the now crumbling building. Undaunted, Leviathan pursues, Omega Clan Dragoons accompanying him. The subsequent engagement is ferocious and sees most of the local town destroyed as Cassandra and her team attempt to survive the onslaught. With ammunition running out and morale flagging; Cassandra asks Leviathan for a duel, a final gamble to at least see her companions to safety. Gleeful at his impending victory Leviathan agrees and while Cassandra proves a worthy adversary she is ultimately outclassed. It seems her death is inevitable when Colin comes back for her and hits Leviathan with an anti-tank rocket. The blow gives Saracen enough time to pull Cassandra out. Cassandra returns to convalesce in a White Horse base and thanks Colin before they part ways, the Dragoon shaken by what he's witnessed. Defense of Puri With Zealot attacks growing more and more frequent, Cassandra and the newly restaffed 3rd Autonomous Corps are dispatched to the township of Puri in the Western Reach. Though the orders for their deployment are written as on site security the unit is soon faced by an expansive Zealot legion. Hastily erecting defensive positions and signalling desperately for aid, the 3rd Corps clashes with the desert marauders. Despite fierce resistance the White Horse soldiers are vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Zealots quickly encircling them. Continuously they try to reach headquarters for reinforcements but receive no reply. As the third day turns to night Cassandra discusses plans for a breakout, each soldier knowing the Zealots have no interest in prisoners. They formulate a plan to create a corridor so at least the citizens of Puri can get to safety. Orders are issued and by mid-morning of the fourth day the White Horse unit prepares to breakout. Much to their surprise they are quickly assisted by members of the Alpha Clan's 14th Battalion, the Dragoons acting under the orders of Colin Peterson. Combined they are able to drive the Zealots away and an uneasy truce exists between the human and Dragoons as they regroup and tend to their casualties. Meeting with Saracen and her other surviving officers, Cassandra ascertains that the 3rd Corps was placed in Puri by someone as a means to see them wiped out. She starts to realize that her relationship with the White Horse high command might more precarious then she ever considered. Road to Armistice With the Dragoons and Guardians forming an alliance and killing Malkeris, the new coalition quickly turns its attention to defeating the Zealot threat. Orchestrating through Colin Peterson, they reach out to Cassandra to see if White Horse will join the alliance. This is the final straw for the heads of White Horse and they order Cassandra's execution. Quickly White Horse is divided into those that are loyal to Cassandra and those committed to the cadre. Working with the Guardians and Alpha Clan, Cassandra's forces swiftly defeat the opposing White Horse faction. Gathering the remainders of White Horse's military Cassandra joins the coalition. White Horse personnel are instrumental in securing the advance of the united forces and participate in the Battle of Lons under Cassandra's command. Category:Dragoon Category:Zeta Clan Category:White Horse